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Jess Spencer
Jessica Spencer, known as Jess to her friends and previously known as Jessie, is a fictional character in the comedy-drama series ''Writers''. She is portrayed by actress Leah Sperring, and serves as a major character in the first and second seasons. An aspiring but unsuccessful writer, Jess is often shown to be struggling with endless writers block and a distinct lack of inspiration. She is characterised as a hopeful-yet-naive young girl who is regretful of her wild and eventful past. At the outset of the series she is still living with her father after dropping out of university, until Daisy Shelby offers her a spare room to live in. Quickly moving in with Daisy and her roommates, Jess begins a new chapter of her life away from home. Much of Jess' character arc in the first season is defined by her relationship with Emmett Shelby, Daisy's twin brother. After meeting Emmett by coincidence and not recognising him, the two are reunited a year later when Jess moves in. Although their relationship begins as platonic, it gradually develops into a romantic one, although Emmett remains obvious to his feelings for his best friend. After watching Emmett enter a relationship with another girl, she finally gets her chance when Emmett breaks up with her in the season one finale. Despite a bumpy start caused by Emmett's confusion at the changed status quo, the two finally enter a romantic relationship the lasts throughout the second season. Biography Early Life Jess was born to Patrick Spencer and his wife sometime in the mid-90s. Though her family were not as wealthy as the Shelbys, they lived a happy life. It has been suggested that Patrick was a baker of some kind, though whether he did this as a hobby or professionally is still uncertain. In her younger years she attended school, where she met and befriended Daisy Shelby, who had been placed in a public secondary school as part of a supposed "experiment" on the part of her parents. (Father's Day) Despite their different backgrounds, the pair became inseparable friends. However, the friendship was often a little one-sided; Jess emerged as the dominant personality, with the geeky and insecure Daisy often at the mercy of her friend's taunts and jokes. (One Flew Over the Sparrow's Nest) At some point during these years, Jess was also introduced to Daisy's twin brother Emmett. Emmett, immediately smitten with Jess, presented her with a dandelion as an attempted romantic gesture, for which he was openly mocked by both Jess and Daisy. (Interview with the Writer) Following this, Emmett was subsequently moved into private education as part of his parent's continuing "experiment", and would not see Jess again for many years. (Father's Day) Over the course of her high school years, Jess developed a wild side. She dyed her hair a variety of colours, later referred by an older Jess as "the punk rock look". This dyed hair, mixed with black-and-white makeup, gave her a gothic appearance. Jess would later claim the look as inspired by Avril Lavigne, despite there being no similarities between the two whatsoever. During this time, Jess also became highly promiscuous, to the point where she no longer remembers the exact number of sexual partners she has had. Among these numerous affairs was a one night stand with Daisy; during a high school party, a distraught Daisy - whose boyfriend had broken up with her that - got drunk and later spent the night with Jess. In the morning, the pair quickly decided to forget about the night's events and never discuss it again. Sometime after this, Jess and Daisy parted ways and lost touch with each other. (''Breakfast at Daisy's'') Sometime before the series began, Jess' mother passed away. The event was particularly tough on Patrick, who was later described as going through a "rough patch" following his wife's death. (''Interview with the Writer'') Meeting Emmett Prior to going to university, Jess went to sixth form. There, she began writing, although she struggled trying to think of a cohesive idea, and began to suffer from bouts of writer's block. She would later describe the experience has having "lots of ideas, but they're not translating to the page very well". One day, while struggling with her writing, Jess travelled to a local duckpond search inspiration. There, she saw a young man looking at her from a nearby bench. Amused, she gave the man a wave, which the man meekly returned. A few moments later, the man came over. Having deduced Jess as a writer, he introduced himself as Emmett - although Jess apparently did not recognise him from their prior encounters in high school. The two subsequently spent the day together, discussing their respective lives and writing styles. Through-out their travels, it was Emmett that did most of the talking, with Jess apparently amused by her new friend's flamboyant mannerisms and posh attitude to his studies. Jess described her influences as the natural world and realism, which was a stark contrast to Emmett, who explained how science-fiction and fantasy were the main inspirations behind his writings. As the two sat by a second duckpond a few miles away from the first, Emmett revealed how one of his previous works was the creation of a "space-duck". Jess found the concept hilarious, although Emmett attempted to defend his creation by explaining how he had since developed superior ideas, describing to her an idea for a "time engine" that was leaking time energy into the world, allowing creatures from the past to enter the present. Jess did seem intrigued by the idea, but she appeared to be more fascinated by Emmett himself than by the ideas he was describing. Finally, Emmett led the way back to his home. As the two approached, Jess finished explaining her latest concept for a story involving a character called Daniel, who Emmett described as an "emotional paradox" who the audience would "fall for... then reject". The two then said their goodbyes, wishing each other the best of luck with their respective projects. Emmett then watched as Jess walked away. [[Interview with the Writer|(The Prologue)]] Reunion with Daisy Following her meeting with Emmett, Jess went to university. However, she quickly discovered the experience was not for her, and dropped out. After returning home, and struggling with both her continuing writers block and the pressures of growing up, as well as the strain that her mother's death had had on her family life, Jess was seeking an escape from her old lifestyle. By happenstance, a year after her day with Emmett, Jess bumped into Daisy whilst walking home. Daisy, who was in the middle of promoting her third "George" novel, was elated to see her friend again for the first time in years. Barney Fields, on the other hand, was confused by the newcomer who Daisy was suddenly doting over. Daisy quickly introduced Jess to her boyfriend, before running inside to grab some keys. Jess and Barney quickly discovered that they had nothing to say to each other, remaining in almost-complete silence until Daisy returned. Daisy and Jess immediately headed out to lunch in order to catch up, eating at a local park due to the sunny weather. The pair were quickly talking once more as if they had never parted. Jess learned that Daisy no longer lived with her wealthy parents, instead opting to live her life on her own terms in her own home. Daisy, on the other hand, was surprised by the lack of progress in Jess' life, finding her in almost the same place she had been when they last spoke. Jess, aware of her own failings as a writer, was in awe of her friend's newfound critical and commercial acclaim, especially at such a young age. During their conversation, Daisy mentioned her brother Emmett, and how he was still living with their parents in the house they grew up in as children. Jess still didn't put two-and-two together regarding Emmett Shelby and the Emmett she had met a year prior, instead remembering how the young Emmett from high school had attempted to woo her with a fresh dandelion. Daisy quickly sensed Jess' unhappiness regarding her current lifestyle, and made her a lucrative offer; a spare room in Daisy's home which was up for grabs. Jess, excited about the prospect of a second chance at living away from home, ignored Daisy's warnings of her oddball roommates and immediately snatched up the opportunity. However, Daisy instead told her to think it over first, and call her when she was certain. With that, Daisy then left Jess to go to another meeting. The following night, Jess considered Daisy's offer as she once again struggled to make progress with her writing. Finally making a decision, she called her best friend and accepted the room. (''Interview with the Writer'') Moving In A few days later, Jess finally moved in with Daisy. Before she could even enter the house, she was bemused by the sudden appearance of a tall, flamboyant man accusing Daisy of purchasing expired noodles. Daisy introduced the man as the landlord, Hugh Darvill; however, rather than greet Jess in a friendly fashion, he instead refused to shake her hand as he simply didn't want to, before promptly leaving. Still reeling from her unusual first encounter with her new landlord, Jess entered the house, only to be confronted with a familiar face: Emmett. Finally realising each other's identities, the pair made light of the situation, reconnecting like old friends. This annoyed Daisy, who had left Emmett to house-sit at the time of their encounter. However, Emmett practically ignored his sister, instead too enthralled by the reappearance of his friend. Jess and Emmett continued to reconnect for the remainder of the day, ignoring their friends and Jess' new housemates, who were clearly not happy with the situation. The tension was finally addressed by Hugh, who after attempting to divert the conversation with a story of a dead rat - much to the disgust of the others - was angered when Emmett said the topic had nothing to do with what he and Jess had been saying. Hugh retorted how he didn't realise all of their conversations needed to revolved around "Jess and Emmett and their magical day of writer's block". Hugh's abrupt interruption snapped Jess and Emmett out of their self indulgence, and they finally began to include the others in the conversation. This included the revelation that Emmett's "space duck" - which Jess had thought to be an interesting idea - was a subject of hysterical laughter to the others, especially to Barney, who referred to the duck as "Larry", despite Emmett's furious assertions that the duck's name was "Lawrence". The group's mocking of Emmett was briefly interrupted by a phone call from Daisy's agent. Daisy then informed the others that the interviews which they had been shooting the day of Jess and Daisy's reunion had been lost, and the studio wanted to do reshoots. Daisy invited Jess along in the hopes that someone who knew her in high school would provide different insights. Some time later, the group travelled to Daisy's agent's home, where the interviews were to take place. Jess remained in the garden as she waited for her turn, where she attempted once again to write with little success. Hugh quickly found her and attempted conversation, but instead mocked her for inability to write. Jess tried her best to learn a little about her new landlord and roommate, inquiring about Hugh's background and his love life. It was at this point that she was surprised to learn that Hugh was gay. Jess, sensing a difficult subject for Hugh, attempted to breeze through it, but instead put her foot in her mouth by pointing out how she'd never met a "real gay person" before. Although Hugh didn't appear offended by the comment, he did seem a little confused by it, reminding her how gay people are "exactly the same as everybody else". However, despite this awkward conversation between the pair, Hugh seemed taken with his new friend, lovingly calling her a "strange individual", before leaving. That night, the interviews continued, with Daisy, Barney, Hugh and finally Emmett going in to be interviewed. As Jess waiting her turn, she grew more and more anxious about appearing on camera. Just before it was time for Jess to go in, Daisy's agent - Jenny Sinclair - appeared to comfort her nerves. Jess was at first reassured by Jenny's presence; however, Jenny's advice to Jess, reminding her to "not make herself look like a tit", only served to make the situation worse. Jess went into the interview room wracked with nerves, immediately stumbling over the first question she was asked, which was simply for her to identify herself for the camera. Things only got worse from there, with Jess confusing the interviewer when trying to explain her convoluted history at university. Finally, the interviewer arrived at his final question; he asked Jess to identify her inspirations. This immediately threw Jess, who still struggled with the concept of inspiration. Looking to her friends for help, she found them all wrapped up in their own conversations - except for Emmett, who was watching Emmett supportively. Touched by the gesture, Jess finally realised her inspiration as her friends and loved ones.(Interview with the Writer) Four Become Five for the first time.]] For the next few weeks, Jess lived a contented life with the others. She quickly became a part of the group, bonding with Hugh and Barney, and getting reacquainted with Daisy. Soon after, Emmett visited the house with his new pet - a dog named Ripley. Jess was the only person in the group to understand Ripley's name as a reference to Ellen Ripley from the ''Alien franchise, a reference that somehow went over the heads of Hugh and Barney. When Emmett and Ripley left, their presence was quickly replaced by that of Jenny, who was excited to present Daisy with an early copy of her latest book. As the group gathered around Daisy and the book with excitement, Hugh was quick to point out a fatal flaw - a typo on the front page of unintentionally changed the title from George and the Smelly Old Shirt into something far more inappropriate for children. Daisy was horrified and, as Jenny quickly made some calls to the publishers, Jess attempted to comfort her friend, although these attempts were ultimately fruitless. Realising her presence was not helping to ease Daisy's distraught mood, Jess instead went over to Hugh and Barney, who were watching the original Planet of the Apes movie. Jess offended both of them by her revelation of never having seen a single Apes film, the first of which Barney referred to as the "best thing in the history of anything". Hugh and Barney were quickly distracted by the idea of having a Planet of the Apes movie marathon, and happily welcomed Jess on board when she asked to participate, despite his insistence on spoiling the film for her before it had even formally begun. The marathon was quickly interrupted, however, by the return of Emmett, who had been thrown out by his parents. Emmett appealed to Daisy's good nature and, against Hugh's better judgment, allowed Emmett to move in with the others, bringing the household tally up to five. A week later, Emmett had already driven the other members of the house to the brink of insanity, with his persistent cleaning and habitual grammar correction among some of his worser habits. Even Jess herself was clearly annoyed by Emmett's behaviour, and was relieved when Hugh - angered at being awoken by Ripley - finally forced Emmett to participate in an intervention put upon him by the others. However, the intervention quickly disintegrated, with each member of the house turning on each other, culminating in a brawl around the dining room table. Jess and Daisy began the fight, as Jess taunted Daisy over her apparent cowardice during high school, egging her friend into fighting her. However, when Daisy finally managed to land a decent punch on Jess, she quickly returned to her cowardly self, running away as Jess attempted to exact revenge. Hugh quickly brought an end to the conflicts by making Emmett realise the error of his behaviour. Emmett then apologised to the group, and the house subsequently resumed business as usual. (A Game of Homes) The Story and the Rival Later that evening, as the house cooled off from that morning's events, Jess found herself alone with Emmett once everyone had gone to bed. As they got to talking, Emmett began to recall their previous encounter, laughing at how they hadn't recognised each other. As the conversation continued, Emmett revealed how, following their day together, he had become inspired to write a short story. He then offered to let Jess hear the story, to which Jess agreed, not expecting much. However, as Emmett began to read his story aloud, Jess quickly realised that it was almost-directly based on their day together. This account included a vivid description of a girl clearly meant to be based on Jess. Jess was moved by Emmett's loving description of herself, and surprised by the beautifully-gentle writing of the story. When Emmett concluded his reading, unaware of the effect it had had on his friend, he allowed Jess to keep the copy, before leaving to make some tea. After Emmett had left, Jess read the story again, still in shock at its meaning and content. (A Game of Homes) The following morning, while Emmett was at the shops, Jess went to Daisy for advice. Showing Daisy the story, the two friends quickly agreed that the story was about Jess, although Daisy advised her friend to be wary in case they were misinterpreting a story about someone else. Before Jess could talk to Emmett about the story, however, Emmett returned with another girl in tow - Clarice Sparrow. Emmett introduced Clarice to the others, explaining how they had met outside the shops. Jess was taken aback, both by the sudden appearance of this new person in her life, and by Clarice's brash and loud nature. Jess was able to grab a few moments alone with Emmett in the kitchen, where she was finally able to question him directly about his story. Emmett, however, surprised her with his answer - claiming that the story was inspired by the day his parents first met. Jess, confused, quickly realised that Emmett was oblivious to the meaning behind his own writing. Before she could press him further, the doorbell rang. At the door was Hugh, ready to introduce everyone to his new boyfriend, Chauncey. Jess was quick to spot the many similarities between Hugh and Chauncey, remarking to Daisy "My God... there's two of them." Jess was amused when Clarice, attempting to make a good impression on everyone, went to greet Chauncey, only to be rudely rebuffed by the newcomer. After Chauncey left, Jess was also one of the members of the group who openly laughed at Barney's claims of Chauncey's psychopathic nature. Later that night, as Emmett went out on a date with Clarice, Jess still clung to Emmett's story, seemingly confused by Emmett's indifference to its contents. Daisy tried to comfort her friend by suggesting that Emmett was simply being stupid and not realising his feelings for Jess. Daisy then suggested playing some old home movies to brighten the mood, an idea which Jess liked. However, what started as an attempt to help Jess forget about Emmett and Clarice backfired when the pair showed up for the screening, much to the annoyance of Jess and Daisy. As the videos began, everyone was amused by their former selves, such as a bespectacled Daisy and an acne-ridden Emmett. Jess in particular was embarrassed by her teenage self's punk-rock style choices. However, her amusement was short lived. Out of the corner of her eye she realised Clarice had taken the opportunity to make a move on Emmett, and the couple were now passionately kissing on the house sofa. Humiliated, Jess turned away from the spectacle, just in time to see the home video footage end and an old sex-tape of Daisy's begin, which Daisy quickly stopped before it could begin in earnest. That evening, Jess remained alone in the kitchen, consoling herself with Emmett's story. Emmett then entered in search of a drink, apparently worn out from his make-out session with Clarice. Jess, remembering the story, briefly considered making a move on Emmett, despite his new girlfriend. But, when coming face to face with him, Jess relented, instead commenting on the quality of Emmett's writing, to which he thanked her and left. Once more alone, Jess disposed of the story in the trash. Moments later, she returned to collect it, unwilling to let it go. (One Flew Over the Sparrow's Nest) Category:Main Cast Category:Character Category:Current Cast Category:Female